The Big Picture

Despite its banal aesthetic and mixed reviews, Alfred Hitchcock’s film Rope may be one of his best offerings. The film is based on a true story, reminiscent of the infamous Leopold and Loeb case, where intellectuals commit a “perfect murder” to prove their worth. The tension in Rope reaches its peak in the intense final scene, where suspicion and guilt collide, ultimately revealing the weight and impact of the crime committed.

What images flit across your mind when you think about Alfred Hitchcock? The English master of suspense in profile, a with a cigar? Birds accosting Tippi Hendren as she screams? There’s no doubt that the prolific director was one of the horror-thriller’s greatest pioneers — from Vertigo to Rear Window, there are many classics on his shelf. So one might be inclined, when asked about Hitchcock’s tensest moments, to point to these widely-seen films. (After all, who hasn’t had the shower scene from 1960’s Psycho burned into their psyche since they first saw it? (Or checks behind the curtain in the bathroom?) But Hitchcock directed over 50 movies, and there are bound to be a few somewhat forgotten gems in such a large stack. Rope, a 1948 thriller based, some say, on a true story, is considered one of Hitchcock’s best offerings — and yet isn’t often at the forefront of our consciousness when we consider his work. It’s not too surprising considering the banality of the film’s aesthetic and its mixed reviews. Indeed, horror doesn’t always hold up after the passage of so much time. Sometimes, though, the themes and characters in a work will transcend cultural changes, cutting into a deeper, timeless human core. Rope is, undoubtedly, one of those stories — and it contains some of the tensest moments in all of Hitch’s oeuvre.

‘Rope’ and the True Story Behind It

Rope opens en media res, with a killing. Phillip (Farley Granger) and Brandon (John Dall), two young and successful society men, are strangling someone — David Kentley (Dick Hogan), one of their peers and a former classmate. There does not seem to be any animosity here, so why do they want to kill an acquaintance? Phillip and Brandon have decided that their intellectual superiority enables them to murder guilt-free. Shocking, yes — but not more so than what happens next. To prove themselves as more than mere men, Phillip and Brandon take things a step further — they decide to throw a party with David’s body in the room. The duo invites their victim’s parents, his fiancée Janet (Joan Chandler), an old friend, and one of the superiors of their old prep school, the intelligent and unfiltered Rupert (Jimmy Stewart). Rupert is an outspoken contrarian, passing his devil-may-care attitude down to his students — he thinks murder should be allowed in certain cases — but perhaps not as serious about his ideals as those who have learned from him. Though the evening begins with the kind of weightless, airy conversation that accompanies a last-minute party, things soon begin to spiral as, one by one, each guest becomes suspicious of the discrepancies surrounding David’s conspicuous absence.

The dynamic shifts between Phillip and Brandon, while Brandon is more confident and brash, Phillip is nervous and twitchy, constantly threatening to reveal their misdeed through his clumsy lies. It’s wickedly delicious to watch each guest gets close to discovering David’s body, hidden in a chest under the party snacks. What makes Rope so interesting is that, at the same time, we don’t want them to be found out. We feel bad for Phillip even as we condemn Brandon, dreading whatever will shatter the whole delicately constructed scene. It’s this balance that makes the film so iconic — as well as its purportedly true basis. Though Hitchcock never officially confirmed the link, the 1929 play that serves as Rope’s source material is more closely associated with two real criminals: Leopold and Loeb. Like Brandon and Phillip, the two were intellectuals, college students who wanted to prove their worth by committing the “perfect murder.” Like Brandon and Phillip, they thought the act would confirm their superiority, and, like Brandon and Phillip, they were eventually caught.

Hitchcock’s Tensest Scene Is at the End of ‘Rope’
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

While the entirety of Rope is a masterclass in the art of the slow burn, the best and tensest moments come right before the end. Having been tipped off by the presence of David’s hat in the apartment, Rupert makes up an excuse to return after the other party-goers have left. He knows there’s something wrong, Brandon and Phillip know there’s something wrong, and we, the audience, know too. But, even amidst all this suspicion, the three men have to act cool. They try not to tip each other off, skirting gently around innuendoes and allusions, until the tension becomes unbearable. (All while, remember, David’s body is still hidden in the room.) Rupert pulls the rope used to strangle David from his pocket (Brandon and Phillip had previously given it to David’s father to carry books), and, in the dim room, lit up by the city behind it, something has to give. Phillip, unable to handle the stress brought on by Rupert’s relentless suspicions, finally cracks. But the tension’s not over yet, Brandon, clinging to the last, desperate dregs of innocence, tries to convince Rupert that Phillip’s confession is nothing more than the ravings of an alcoholic. The older man is undeterred, and, despite the blubbering, moves to open the chest. It’s at this moment that we feel the weight of the film — and the true weight of the crime. Someone else about to see the aftermath of their murder makes it more real, to them and to us. “I couldn’t believe it was true,” Rupert says. Up to this moment, despite his certainty that something was wrong, Rupert could not fully believe that his ideals inspired two of his students to kill. Unfortunately, the evidence is staring him right in the face. “You’ve given my words a meaning that I never dreamed of.” The coy transgressor is gone. Now, there’s nothing more meaningful than the life that’s been wasted and that can’t be reversed.

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‘Rope’s Legacy Adds More Layers to the Story

While this scene is undoubtedly one of the best in Hitchcock’s library, Rope has proven itself to be cinematically notable in more than one way. Its use of an enclosed, one-location setting was innovative at the time — even more so the long, extended shots that make up the movie’s cinematography. In fact, only four noticeable cuts are present in the movie, creating a sense of seamless real-time. But perhaps the most intriguing legacy left by the film is its queer reading. For years, queer scholars and moviegoers have picked up on the subtext hidden in the relationship between Brandon and Phillip. Perhaps this is partially due to the suspicions swirling around their real-life counterparts, or perhaps it has more to do with the fact that both actors were, in real life, queer. Dall was gay, and Granger was bisexual. Intended or not, this adds another layer of tension to the movie’s events. If Brandon and Phillip are together, their neuroses, insults, and social maneuvers become more calculated and personal. But, whether Hitchcock knew that this interpretation would become popular, he certainly knew how to manipulate an audience — and, between what’s left unsaid between the party-goers and what’s unseen by the audience, he pulls heartstrings taut. Get comfortable, have a few drinks, and do your best to ignore that creeping sense of dread. The unassuming, talky veneer of Rope has you exactly where it wants you.